Tennis: Argentine Heras found guilty of match-fixing

Reuters Staff

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(Reuters) - Argentine tennis player Patricio Heras has been found guilty of match fixing and suspended until his punishment is confirmed at a later date, the Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU) said on Friday.

The 29-year-old, who reached a career-high ranking of 269 in September 2013, was found to have contrived the outcome of a match at the ATP Challenger event in Barranquilla, Colombia in 2015.

Following an investigation by the TIU, Heras’ case was considered by independent anti-corruption hearing officer (AHO) Jane Mulcahy QC at a hearing in London on April 6 this year.

“Having now been found guilty of the charges, he will be sanctioned at a future date to be determined by AHO Mulcahy,” TIU said in a statement.

The TIU added that Heras had also failed to report corrupt approaches in August and September 2015.

It said details of the decision on Heras’ sanctions will be made public when received.

“Until that time, and with immediate effect, Heras is not allowed to compete in or attend any sanctioned events organized or recognized by the governing bodies of the sport.”

Heras is currently ranked 306 in singles.

Two other Argentine players — Federico Coria and Nicolas Kicker — were also found guilty of breaches of the Tennis Anti-Corruption Program in May.

Coria was suspended for eight months for failing to report an approach while Kicker was banned for six years for match-fixing.